This is a bison in Yellowstone National Park. Image courtesy Julie Larsen Maher.

new study from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) demonstrates that it is possible to qualify bison coming from an infected herd as free of brucellosis using quarantine procedures. These bison can then be used to seed conservation herds in other landscapes without the threat of spreading the disease.

In response to Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP) guidelines on federal and state bison management actions, the USDA, APHIS Brucellosis Eradication: Uniform Methods and Rules protocol for the quarantine of bison was tested to see if it could successfully be used to qualify the animals as brucellosis-free.

Results of the study indicated that it is feasible to take young bison from an infected population and, using the approved quarantine protocol published as a Federal Uniform Method and Rule (UM &R), qualify them as brucellosis-free in less than three years.

Between 2005 and 2008, more than 200 bison calves of Yellowstone National Park origin were transported to a quarantine facility at Corwin Springs Montana, just outside Yellowstone National Park. During the study, blood samples were collected from the animals every 30-45 days and tested for brucellosis.

Those animals that tested positive were euthanized and those remaining were tested until all had two consecutive negative tests. Since the primary mode of brucellosis transmission is via abortion and birthing events, all animals testing negative were held until they produced their first calf and showed no evidence of the disease in newborn calves, birth fluids, or blood.

At that point, the bison were considered brucellosis-free. The study showed that all bison continued to be brucellosis-free over the course of the seven-year study after the initial screening period and through several calving cycles. No evidence of brucellosis was found in either newborn calves or their mothers.

"The results of this study indicate that under the right conditions, there is an opportunity to produce live brucellosis-free bison from even a herd with a large number of infected animals like the one in Yellowstone National Park," said Dr. Jack Rhyan, APHIS Veterinary Officer. "Additionally, this study was a great example of the benefits to be gained from several agencies pooling resources and expertise to research the critical issue of brucellosis in wildlife."

The authors of the study note that agencies charged with the management of bison agree that capture and relocation of bison to other suitable habitats would be an appropriate alternative to the lethal removal of bison that exceed population objectives for Yellowstone National Park, as defined by the IMBP. The UM &R protocol could facilitate such relocation by demonstrating animals are disease-free and would not transmit brucellosis to cattle or other animals.

At the same time, a movement to ecologically restore bison to large landscapes is gaining momentum throughout the United States and Canada, and brucellosis-free bison may be needed to seed those landscapes. In particular, the genetics of Yellowstone bison are important because they are known to be free of cattle genes and represent bison that existed on the Great Plains for thousands of years.

WCS Bison Project Coordinator Keith Aune said, "This study represents an important milestone in bison conservation and these research findings enable us to practice genetic rescue from brucellosis infected bison herds. The Yellowstone animals passing through this system of testing are critical to conserving the diversity of the bison genome over the long term.

"We've also learned a great deal about brucellosis blood testing and how to better interpret results when screening animals for this disease. It is our hope that several satellite herds of Yellowstone bison can be assembled from the animals that graduate through this quarantine process."

China's smog suffocating agriculture?Beijing (UPI) Feb 26, 2013 China's air pollution is putting the country's agriculture sector at risk, experts say.
Smog has blanketed Beijing for at least a week, and much of north and central China - about one-seventh of the country - was also covered in smog last weekend, state-run news agency Xinhua reports.
On Wednesday evening, PM2.5 levels - the measurement of air pollution particles less than 2.5 ... read more

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes.
AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties.
Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement
All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.